I want to drive flatbed

Chaining coils and equipment will be the most technical, strapping so so, Tarping will be showing you the basic principles and probably 80% will be you suffering it out for a couple months till you get your own system down using them basic principles.
They will give you cheat sheets and probably the book (cant recall the name), with the tensile strengths of different chains and proper angles... Be sure and get involved and ask lots of questions and you will do good! Im sure there will also be someone knowledgeable you can contact when your on the road.

 

Google
Cargo Securement Handbook for Drivers
Tried to post a link for you but the link was about 5 pages long, lol.

 

TylerDavid, sounds like your plan is similar to my plan. I drove OTR dry van (worked 2.5 years as a company driver and trainer), then switched to flat bed two months ago. I went cold turkey, with almost no formal securement training, although I think getting with a company that will give you formal training is a definite advantage. I think you'll find that flatbedders really help each other. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Update your profile and let us know the city you live in, and we can give you some more advise regarding companies that might suit your needs. If you want to stay OTR then the companies that have been mentioned may be the ticket. If you want more regional work or specialize in running flat bed loads to oil rigs then you might be able to have a lot more home time. I opted to run to oil rigs and it's been a blast and the money has been very good, even with the downturn in oil prices and active rigs.

 

How long are they saying that you have to ride with a trainer? 6 weeks? IMO, that's ridiculous since you've already been driving. A couple weeks max at the most is all you would need.

 

I have to believe he could find a company to put him in his own truck and let him run with other trucks. He could do the legal loads to start and then move up to ten wides while the other guys trained him. Another option might be a crane company. He could pull the crane parts to and from the job sites.

 

I dont know much about Melton, but even if they take rookies, they still wouldnt start a rookie out at the same rate as an experienced driver. Here's the other problem that you will run in to: the higher end the company, the less hand holding they do. Melton, Maverick, TMC and Boyd is like bootcamp. They take people off the street and make them soldiers. Mercer, Admiral Merchants, Sammons, Bennette and Landstar and like mercenaries. They pay better, but you'd better bring your own training, combat experience and weapons. You make your own way home.

There are companies that wont hire rookies, but will train for flatbedding. They advertise in the books.